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Motorists and commuters using the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have faced hours of gridlock following the commencement of a two-week repair of the Kara Bridge.
The Nigerian Government began work on the bridge’s damaged expansion joints on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after the project, initially scheduled for August, was suspended to allow for a review of traffic management plans following public complaints over the short notice.
The commencement of the repairs has since caused heavy traffic along the corridor, with the congestion stretching from Kara Bridge in Ogun State to the 7Up Junction in Lagos and beyond.
As of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, traffic towards Kara had extended beyond the Secretariat Bus Stop. Motorists travelling from Ikeja and Agege towards the Otedola Underpass were also caught in the congestion, which stretched beyond Otunba Jobi Fele Way.
Joint security personnel were deployed to manage the situation, alternating traffic between vehicles travelling towards Kara from Isheri and Ojodu and those coming from the expressway in an effort to prevent a complete blockage of the corridor.
However, the presence of police and military personnel, alongside officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Federal Road Safety Corps and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, did little to ease the congestion as the repair work further slowed traffic around the bridge’s entry and exit points towards OPIC.
By 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, motorists were already using one-way traffic to move passengers towards their destinations.
The congestion also provided an opportunity for street urchins to target commercial drivers as they moved along the corridor seeking quick earnings.
Commuters have expressed frustration over the situation, with many reporting that they have been stranded for hours and unable to meet appointments or arrive early at their workplaces.
A motorist, Tijani Akinyele, described the situation as terrible, saying motorists travelling towards Mowe without viable alternative routes had been forced to use one-way traffic.
Akinyele said motorists did not expect the repairs to result in such severe congestion and blamed the government for failing to provide a solution before the work began.
“We didn’t expect this whole repair would turn out like this. The situation is terrible, but there’s nothing I can do.
“I will blame the government because they ought to have found a solution to this before now”, he said.
Another motorist, Thompson, appealed to the authorities to address the situation, questioning how much worse the traffic could become if the current conditions continued throughout the two-week repair period.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, urged motorists to remain patient and cooperate with traffic officials while the repairs continue.
Akinbiyi said the agency had anticipated that the project could cause congestion and had issued a traffic advisory before the repairs began. He appealed to motorists to bear with the authorities, saying the rehabilitation was necessary to improve movement and ensure the safety of road users.
He also advised people without essential business along the corridor to avoid the route and urged those who must use it to cooperate with traffic officials.
“We anticipated that there would be traffic, and that was why we issued a traffic advisory earlier.
“We can only appeal to motorists to bear with us for the time being because the repair works are necessary to ensure smooth movement and the safety of road users along the corridor.
“Anyone who does not have an important business along the axis should stay away, and those who cannot avoid using that route should cooperate with traffic officials,” he said.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Oluwaseun Osiyemi said the repairs align with an earlier announcement by the Federal Ministry of Works.
The two-week rehabilitation, directed by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, involves replacing deteriorating expansion joints on the bridge to improve road safety, structural integrity and long-term traffic flow along the busy corridor.
The project is scheduled to run until September 22, 2026.
The Lagos State Government has advised motorists using the corridor to plan their journeys ahead of time.
To reduce the impact of the repairs on traffic, the government said one half of the affected section would be closed at a time, while motorists would use the other half alternately.
The state government appealed to motorists to remain patient and cooperate with traffic management officials to ensure the rehabilitation is completed within the scheduled two-week period.
